Leeds United were taken to the wire by Championship side Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round, eventually prevailing in a nervy penalty shootout.
Sean Longstaff converted the decisive spot-kick to send the Whites through after a fiercely contested tie at St. Andrew’s on Sunday.
Under mounting pressure in recent weeks, Lucas Perri answered his critics with several vital interventions in open play and during the shootout, safeguarding Leeds from a shock at St Andrew’s.
Several Leeds players came under pressure for a poor performance. Facundo Buonanotte was shocking in the first half, but Daniel Farke is prepared to remain patient with his January signing.
Daniel Farke provides support to Facundo Buonanotte
Facundo Buonanotte joined Leeds on loan in the winter window, and Brighton are likely to demand somewhere around £20m for a permanent sale.
Leeds would be keen to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer. However, the performance on Sunday was a major red herring.
However, Farke is not prepared to write off Buonanotte just yet. He insisted that it is not easy for any player to find his rhythm after not playing much football for months.
The Leeds bossis not prepared to be overly critical of the first half performance by Buonanotte against Birmingham City.
Farke told reporters after the game: “He’s a very young player who hasn’t played much football in recent years. You can’t just arrive and deliver straight away – you have to fight for your rhythm.
“He knows he’s not yet at his best and must work hard in training, taking every chance to raise his level so he can shine in the Premier League.
“It was an important 45 minutes for him. I don’t want to be overly critical – it’s hard to stand out when you haven’t played much.”
He needs to improve fast
The statistics from his display against Birmingham on Sunday make for grim reading and inevitably cast fresh scrutiny on Leeds’ recruitment team.
The Whites have tracked the Argentine since last summer, but supporters are now questioning the hype surrounding him, given what he has produced on the pitch.
Facundo Buonanotte vs Birmingham – Match Performance Breakdown
A detailed statistical look at Facundo Buonanotte’s performance against Birmingham,
highlighting his ball carrying, dribbling output and overall involvement in possession.
| Match Stats – Buonanotte vs Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| Touches | 30 |
| Unsuccessful Touches | 1 |
| Dribbles (Successful) | 3 (0) |
| Possession Lost | 10 |
| Total Carrying Distance | 96.1 m |
| Carries | 6 |
| Progressive Carries | 1 |
He failed to register a goal or assist and was substituted at half-time after an underwhelming first-half showing.
Buonanotte managed just 30 touches before the interval, surrendering possession 10 times and failing to complete a single dribble attempt.
On the evidence of that performance, Leeds may need to think twice before committing significant funds to secure him on a permanent deal at the end of the season.
The Leeds Press, doing it’s best to destroy any confidence in our squad players. Give it a rest.
sorry the whole team didn’t play well so why single out one player. he can only play with the tools he has been given to work with. if any one is to blame it is the coach.